Planting (Ex)ceeds
by FatalError69
Summary: After buying some strange "strawberry" seeds from a seemingly crazy old man, Natsu and Lucy planted them in Lucy's garden. When the seeds sprouted, they were in for a surprise bigger than they could imagine. Now they're on a a special quest to see if they're eligible for "the plan." Will they survive? And how will Lucy cope with her new magic abilities?
1. Chapter 1

Planting (Ex)ceeds

**Lucy POV**

"So, you're saying these seeds will plant delicious strawberries?" The young blonde known as Lucy inquired. She promised Levy that she would buy the best seeds so that they could plant them together.

"Oh, yes! Absolutely! The best of the best strawberries, MISS. And for you, ONLY one thousand jewels," said the creepy old fruit man at the market.

"Heh, well that's a lot for just a pack of seeds…" said the bubbly celestial mage.

"Ooh sweetie, don't you worry your little face off. They'll _surely_ pay off soon enough…Maybe tomorrow, maybe not, or maybe-" said the vender.

"Well…Ok…" said Lucy, cutting off the creepy pervert before he could say anything incriminating. Lucy handed over the one thousand jewels and took the seeds from the old man.

"Just a little bit of advice: give the seeds...fish." said the man awkwardly.

"Ehh..Ok?" She wondered what the strange man could have meant by that. I mean, you don't get told something like that everyday. It's like walking into a pet shop where the owner wants to sell you drugs or a zucchini or something like that. Basically, it's. Just. Not. Normal. Actually, It's sort of like something Natsu would say – something that only makes sense in his world.

_Hmm…Maybe he's somehow related to Natsu. No, Natsu doesn't have any family besides Igneel.. Does he? Eh, it doesn't matter. Who am I kidding; I'll probably lose sleep over this topic. _

As she mentally slapped herself, she started walking towards the guild. She felt a light breeze blowing some hair into her face. It was a lovely day with perfect weather and not a cloud in sight, so she wanted to get started on planting the mysterious seeds right away.

_Surely someone will know what that geezer meant. It is Fairy Tail, after all. Oh well, I'm probably overthinking things, none of this matters anyway. He was just an old quack, why should I care about what he said?_

As the young mage approached the guild doors, something flew into her. Something small and blue and-"LUSHEEEE! Where have you been? Natsu's been on a rampage looking for you talking about some old fart selling you drugs! Say no to drugs, Lushee!"

"Stupid cat! What are you talking about? What drugs?" _He must be talking about that crazy, Natsu-like old guy from earlier, Lucy thought. _"Happy, that was just some guy selling me seeds for the garden I'm going to plant with Levy. No worries, they're not drugs, and I'm not a drug-addict anyway. Here, I'll show you." Lucy took the packet of mysterious seeds out of her bag and showed them to Happy. "See? Not drugs!" she said, pointing at the small packet.

"Lushee..Erm..I gotta go," exclaimed the feline. And with that, he rapidly flew away with wide eyes and a devious look on his face.

_I wonder what that was about. Oh well, he's just a cat anyway. But still, what was with that look?_ As she walked into the guild, Gajeel walked up to her and grunted.

"Bunny-girl, shrimp is sick and told me to tell you she can't do the garden crap with you, but you should still plant the seeds," he barked, "And next time, get me some of that drugs too! Gihi." He then nodded his head at her and turned around, walking away to talk to Bixlow.

_Aww poor Levy! I'll work on my book tonight so she has something to look forward to when she gets better! Yeah, she'll enjoy that. Maybe I'll stop by later and take it to her myself. _Lucy smiled at the thought, and walked over to the bar. She sat down in her usual spot and rested her head on the counter.

"Lucy! Why so down? Are you feeling ok? Weren't you supposed to plant a garden with Levy? I hear you got some drugs earlier. You shouldn't do drugs, Lucy, they're bad for you and illegal too!" the ever so bubbly barmaid chirped.

"Don't worry, Mira, I'm just a little tired. My morning was a little weird. Who knew buying seeds could be so hectic? And anyways, Levy is sick, so she can't help me plant the seeds. But then Gajeel came up to me and said that Levy still wanted me to plant them. But who with?" the blonde said.

Hearts formed in Mira's eyes as she squealed, "You and Natsu should plant them together! It would be a great chance for you two to have some alone time! Maybe you'll even get together after this, oh, I knew you two would be a great couple!"

"Mira! We're not even together! And I'm sure he doesn't like me!" Lucy shouted loudly, causing several guild members to turn around and stare at her. After they stopped staring and resumed their activities, Lucy stooped over the bar and whispered, "Besides, if he liked me, he would have said something by now, right?"

**Mira POV**

_Gosh they're so dense! It's so obvious that Natsu loves Lucy and Lucy loves him back. Practically the entire guild can see that they're madly in love, so why can't they just realize their feelings! I mean, who wouldn't know. They always blush when they hug or hold hands, even though they used to act all normal when they did that after just becoming friends! Gajeel and Levy would be a cute couple too! And maybe Gray and Juvia, they're practically married by the way Juvia follows him around. Hmmm maybe he's stripping for her? He didn't used to strip this exotically before she came along! HAHA! I knew it! They're probably secretly dating, like Elfman and Evergreen!_

"Lucy, I know he likes you! Everyone knows! Why can't you just accept it? Even Lisanna supports you, that's great, right?" I exclaimed, and as soon as the words left my mouth, a pair of boxers flew into my face. "Gray! Next time throw them in Juvia's direction!" I yelled, transforming into my satan soul for dramatic effect."

"O-ok..Yes sir! I mean ma'am! I mean Mira.." shouted Gray, as Natsu punched him in the face, sending him flying into a table.

**Gray POV**

"Oi, Toaster Oven! What was that for?!" I shouted, irritatedly, throwing a table at his ugly face.

"What was that, Freezer head?" the pink haired moron screamed, punching the table into Gajeel, who quickly joined the brawl.

_Great, now Gajeel's fighting too. _"Ice make- lance!" I yelled, throwing my lance at pinky's face. _Heh. It won't make him any uglier. How did he even get someone like Lucy to like him? I mean, Lucy's gorgeous, but I only like her as a sister. Like the sister I never had, I guess. But I swear, if Flame Princess messes up or hurts her in any way, I'll never forgive him. _"Ice make – Cage!" I uttered, as a giant cage fell on top of Natsu. "Haha! I got you now, Flame Princess!" I shouted as I raced to the cage at full speed and punched him in the gut, successfully knocking the bastard out for awhile, or so I thought.

**Natsu POV**

_He thinks he can beat me with a cage? Fire melts ice! HAHAHA! I'll prove to the entire guild I'm stronger than Popsicle over there! He's already boasting about a battle he hasn't even won! _"Oi, Boxers! Fire melts ice, remember? Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" And with one blow, the cage melted into water, covering the guild floor. "I think it's obvious who won here," I said, mocking that ignorant bastard.

"Tch, I'll win next time, Matchstick!" Gray shouted loudly.

I walked up to the bar and sat next to Lucy, who was busy chatting with Mira and sipping her usual strawberry-vanilla milkshake. "Hey Luce! Whats up! Wanna go do a mission with me?"

"Actually Natsu, she has to go plant some seeds in her garden. She needs help though because Levy couldn't join her," Mira said as a wide grin formed on her face.

_That grin…Oh no! She's matchmaking! What could she be thinking? _I sweatdropped, waiting for Mira to tell us her obviously love related plan.

"Natsu, why don't you help Lucy with her garden? It'll be so much fun!" the white haired ex-mage squealed, full of joy and with hearts in her eyes.

_Hmm…It's not as good as a mission, but at least I get to spend time with my Luce! Wait…My Luce? Since when did I start calling her...mine? It's not like I'm in love with her or anything…Oh who am I kidding? Of course I am! But I don't think she likes me back…Maybe helping her with her garden will let me try to convince her to like me! _"Haha!" I shouted, pumping my fist in the air, excited about my plan.

"What, Natsu?" Lucy inquired with a confused look on her face.

_Gosh, she's beautiful. _"I-I t-thought maybe I'd go w-with you to plant the s-seeds?" I stammered, trying to hide the small tint of pink covering my face.

"Sure, Natsu! But are you feeling up to it? You look a little sick and your face is red. Maybe you should rest in the infirmary for a little or have Wendy look at you," she said worriedly as she put her forehead on mine to see if I had a fever. I only turned redder when she did this. Our lips were centimeters apart. _Holy Mavis! We're almost kissing! Kissing Luce…I wonder what it would be like. Luce, I swear I'll make you my first kiss no matter what! _My thoughts were soon interrupted by her sweet voice. "Well, it doesn't seem like you have a fever, but don't strain yourself too much, ok? I get worried about you, you know!" she said with a smile gracing her lips.

**Lucy POV**

"Well, let's go plant these seeds, Natsu! I really want to know what type they are. The man who sold them to me didn't tell me. He just told me to plant them with fish of something like that. Do you know what that's about?" _Mavis, I'm saying way too much! I bet I look pretty nervous. Calm down Lucy, calm down! It's not like this is a date or anything…But what if it is like a date? Gahh! I'm so confused! Maybe I'll ask Mira later! Yeah! Great idea, Lucy! _We walked out of the guild together, when suddenly Natsu grabbed my hand and started running towards my apartment. Desperately, I tried to cover my blush with my hands, but in the process, I let go of Natsu's hand and fell. Bracing for the impact of the ground, I realized that a pair of strong arms snaked around my waist to keep me from falling.

"Damn Luce! Be more careful!" Natsu said, "If you're going to fall, I might as well carry you the rest of the way."

He picked me up bridal style and kept running to my apartment, while I buried my face in his chest. _This is so __embarrassing! But I like how it feels, like I was meant to be carried like this in his arms._

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Lucy POV**

Natsu's a pretty fast runner, so we got to my apartment in only five minutes, versus the fifteen minutes it would have taken if we had walked. I reached into my pocket to grab the key so we could go inside, but it wasn't there. _Crap! I must've forgotten it inside this morning before I went out shopping! I'm such an idiot!_ "Heh… Hey, Natsu? Could you open the door for me?" I asked, "I forgot the key in my room this morning."

"Sure thing, Luce!" he yelled, with a big toothy grin on his face. Natsu Jumped up onto my windowsill and went in my apartment through the window.

"NATSU! How many times do I tell you not to go through my window?" I screamed at the pinkette who probably forgot about me and started to eat my food. "I only wanted you to melt the lock or something! Gahh!" Just then, Natsu reappeared, holding the door open for me to come inside. _Well, at least his idea was effective…But this will be the __only__ time I'll let him go through the window!_ "Natsu, want some food or something to dri-…EHHH?"

"Wahs won Wushee?" Natsu asked as he shoved my poor chicken into his mouth.

"Damnit, Natsu! That wasn't even cooked! Why would you eat an uncooked chicken? You could get salmonella!" I screamed. _Seriously, who eats chicken raw? Oh right, he probably cooks it while its in his mouth_. I sweat dropped at the not so pleasant thought.

"Wahs samonewwa?" Natsu swallowed the last of my chicken. "Is it a curse that turns your body into a fish? Luce, I don't want Happy to eat me! How do I break the curse?" Natsu whimpered. He really didn't want to get eaten, especially not by his best friend, because then who would take care of Lucy?

"Relax, you idiot! Salmonella doesn't make you turn into a fish, and it's not some curse. You just get sick, and I don't want to have to take care of you!" I huffed. _That man could not get any dumber if he tried. No, scratch that. He probably could._ Just then, I remembered the reason we came to my apartment – Those seeds! I wonder if they're really strawberry seeds. "Natsu, stop eating all my food and let's go plant the seeds!" I said smiling. Natsu blushed when he saw me smile, but soon it faded and he smirked.

"I bet ten thousand jewels that I can plant more seeds than you!" he screamed childishly, and then he grabbed the seeds from my counter and ran through the back door into my garden.

**Nobody POV**

Lucy's garden wasn't too big, but wasn't small either. It was the perfect size for a few rose bushes, a stone bench, a little, white pagoda in the corner, and some separately fenced patches for different vegetables and fruits that Lucy liked to grow in order to save some money on food. Out of all the patches, the one labeled "Levy's Strawberries! ^.^" was the biggest. Lucy had put a picture of her mother on a little table in front of the center rosebush and planted lily of the valley around it. After all, roses and lilies of the valley were Layla Heartfilia's favorite flowers. It is always peaceful in Lucy's garden. When she can't sleep, Lucy wanders outside and just lays near the roses bushes, stares at the stars, and talks to her mother until she falls asleep. On those days, Natsu would still lie near her on the ground; he wanted to make sure she was safe. And this day may be another like that. Soon the tranquility of the garden was ruined when our favorite fire-eater ran through the garden, tripped on a rock, and face-planted into the slightly muddy grass.

"Oi, Natsu! What's going on?" the blonde mage asked as she walked into her garden. Secretly, she hoped that Natsu had slipped, just so she could laugh and get a head start at planting. She really wanted that ten thousand jewels since it would help with her rent.

**Natsu POV**

I was running into Luce's garden when I tripped on something. _Whatever, I'll just set whatever it was that tripped me on fire. Yeah, that'll teach that thing!_ I was just about to set the thing on fire when Luce appeared. The happy grin she had on her face was soon replaced with a look of shock, and then anger.

"Natsu! What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to set my entire garden on fire?" she screamed, "Lucy KICK!"

"No Luce, I-" I tried to explain about that dumb rock or turtle or whatever when Luce's foot flew into my face, knocking me down again. _Luce can really kick; she's gotten stronger._ Lucy ran past and grabbed the bag of seeds from my non-fiery hand. She giggled cutely and immediately started to plant the seeds in the patch.

"Open the Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Lucy summoned Virgo to help her plant. As the two women were busily planting seeds, I was still processing what had happened a few seconds prior.

_Shit! I better get started! I need that money to buy a few strawberry cakes to replace the ones I accidentally set on fire…I am SO lucky she's on a mission right now! _I hastily stole the bag of seed from Luce and that crazy maid spirit of hers. When I opened it, there were only three seeds left. Three. _Maybe there were only five seeds to begin with…Yeah that's it! I can still win! _"Yosh! I'm all fired up!" As soon as the words came out of my mouth, Luce started laughing weirdly. What a weirdo she is!

"Hahaha! Natsu! All fired up for three seeds? There were around fifty originally, so now hand over my ten thousand jewels!" Luce exclaimed rather happily. She has such a goofy grin on her face; I wish I could take a picture.

"Well how was I supposed to know there were more than five seeds? If there was five, I could've won the bet! Here's your money" I grumbled, still slightly amused by my Luce's weird facial expressions. _Great, now I'm out ten thousand jewels and I still need to buy those cakes! _My thoughts were interrupted when Luce took the money from me and then said that we needed to put fish all over the seeds. We went back into her house and got a pile of fish to put over the strawberry patch. Then I remembered Happy. "Luce, what if happy sees the fish and eats them all?" I asked.

"You're right! Gahh why didn't I think of something to keep him away? We both know he'll drop by later and then probably eat every fish in sight." Lucy grumbled dejectedly. Hmm…I think I have an idea! "Luce, what if we put netting or something around it and cover it in some nasty stuff so Happy won't try to chew through it!" I voiced. "Natsu! That's a great idea!" she came over and gave me a big hug. _I should be smart more often if this is my reward…Heh…Heh. _We went inside the house again and began searching for suitable material to use as a net, as well as something so terrible tasting that even Happy wouldn't eat it. Lucy searched upstairs and I searched downstairs. We figured we could find something faster if we each took a floor. Lucy came down the stairs with some liquid soapy stuff and some random fabric thing. I think it's a pair of old curtains, but I can't be sure. Even if they weren't curtains, they'd still be white with pink flowers.

**Nobody POV**

The celestial mage and her pinkette companion wandered into the garden and began setting up the net. Lucy covered the curtains with the soapy stuff, which they both agreed that the greedy exceed would hate the taste of, while Natsu was assembling the net. They finished in a matter of minutes and Lucy went inside to get some tea. It was getting pretty dark outside, so she offered for Natsu to stay the night since he lived at least a two-hour walk away. Natsu immediately accepted, seeing it as a chance to be alone with his Luce just a little longer. They went upstairs and Lucy took a shower while Natsu was already making himself comfortable in Lucy's bed. Ten minutes later, Lucy came out of the shower dressed in a white crop top and black sweatpants. She lay down next to Natsu and began to fall asleep. Before she drifted off to sleep, she heard Natsu mumble, "Sweet Dreams, my Luce" as he wrapped his arm around her waist protectively.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3: Confession

Chapter 3

**Lucy POV (**bold text in her POV is her dream)

**I was running through a field of tall grass screaming for help. Anyone's help. Why? I was being chased by a swarm of little shadows with wings. They were everywhere, all around me, and covering the sky so it was an ominous black. They were all laughing at me, mocking me, and mainly calling me fat. I just wanted to Lucy Kick them all into a brick wall or something like that. Why were they even chasing me? I mean, couldn't there have been someone else to be chased? As I was running, I was passing different figures made of cardboard or plastic. Some were of me, some of people I didn't know, but most them were people from the Guild, like Gray or Erza. Now that I think about it, I think I have seen ones resembling everyone in Fairy Tail. As I was running, I approached a high cliff above some rocky water. Slowly, I backed away from the cliff and reached for my keys and whip. I couldn't find them. For the first time, I looked down and saw that I was in my pajamas. Panicking, I started to randomly punch and kick the shadows, but my hands and legs just went through them. Then some of the blobs flew into me and knocked me over the cliff into the water. On the way down, I hit some rocks. When I finally landed in the water, I blacked out because of my injuries from the rocks and the low temperature my body was at.**

I woke up in a cold sweat. _What kind of nightmare was that? It was so weird!_ I shook those thoughts out of my head and sat up. _Wait, why am I on the floor?_ I guess I fell off the bed, or maybe Natsu pushed me off accidentally. It happens sometimes, so I usually try to get Natsu to sleep on the couch when he spends the night here. _What time is it, anyway?_ I peered at the clock hanging above my desk. It's one in the morning. _Great, there goes my beauty sleep. I guess I'll just go out into the garden and lay there for a while._ I got up, being careful not to make any noises to wake Natsu. Then I tiptoed down the stairs and grabbed a blanket and pillow from my couch so I wouldn't get too cold or uncomfortable on the grass. I walked through the backdoor and into my yard. _Where would be a good place to lie down for a while? Hmm…Near the rosebushes would be nice, and I can see the stars perfectly while still being able to see Mama's picture._ I laid out my blanket on the grass and put my pillow on top of it. Then I sat on the blanket, facing Mama. "How are you tonight, Mama? So many stars are out! I wonder if you can see them from heaven. I really hope you can, I know how much you loved them." I whispered. A star flew across the sky. "Look, Mama! A shooting star! Remember when we were stargazing in the backyard when I was little? You would always tell me that they make people's wishes come true. Well, Mama, I wish that Natsu and I will always be together in the future. It doesn't matter if we stay friends or become more than friends. Just as long as I'm with him, I'm happy." As I said that, I heard leaves crunch. I turned around and saw Natsu. _Crap, did he hear all of that? I thought he was still asleep!_

**Natsu POV**

I came outside just as Luce told her mom about her wish. She has no idea how much that means to me. I started walking towards her to surprise her with a hug, but she heard me because I stepped on some dry leaves that make a loud crunching noise. _Stupid leaves, ruining my surprise._

"N-Natsu, what are you doing out here so late?" Luce asked, with a flustered look.

"Luce, I could ask the same thing to you. Trouble sleeping?" I inquired.

"Yeah. I woke up a little while ago on the floor after having a nightmare and decided to come outside and talk to Mama for a while. How much did you hear?"

She was still somewhat flustered, and also slightly blushing. _She looks so adorable!_ "I only heard the wish, and Luce, I like you. I have for a few months. I'm not that dense, am I?" I put a big, toothy grin on my face. "Luce, will you be my girlfriend?"

Lucy smiled a smile that I've only seen her make when she talks about her mother. That special smile that she only gives to people she loves. "Of course, Natsu! I like you too!" She began to get up, but I sat down beside her before she could stand. I pulled my Luce into a hug and ruffled her hair. Leaning my head into the crook of her neck, I breathed in her scent, "Luce, never leave me, ever" I whispered. Then I bit into her neck, leaving a mark that will show other dragon slayers she's my mate. It's in the shape of a flaming key with a ring around it. I have one too, on my wrist. Luce wriggled around a little. "Did it hurt? The bite, I mean. I've never done this before, and Igneel didn't teach me mu-" Luce stopped my rambling with a kiss. After a few seconds, we pulled apart.

"It didn't hurt, Natsu, I've just never been…Uh…Bitten before, so it felt a little weird." She smiled her weird smile and we both laid down on the blanket, my head on the pillow and her head on my chest. Then Lucy started talking to her mom again. _It feels great to know she trusts me this much to talk to her mom when I'm around. Normally, she'd only talk to her mom when she's alone._

**Lucy POV**

"Mama, this is Natsu, the boy I told you about. He's my boyfriend now. Please watch over him from heaven as you've done for me. I really like him, so I think you would too. He always protects me when we're on missions and he has this annoying, but adorable little exceed named Happy. An exceed is a cat with wings, mama, how awesome is that!" After I told mama about him, Natsu started talking.

"Mom, even though I've never met you, I think you are an amazing person to have raised a daughter like Luce. She has told me so much about you and I hope you approve of me dating your daughter. I care for her a lot." Natsu said, "I plan to stay with her and marry her someday!"

I couldn't quite hear the last part of what Natsu said since he was whispering it, but I trust him, so I won't ask about it. I was getting pretty tired too, so I called out Lyra to sing me song to help me sleep. Natsu pulled me into his arms and soon I drifted off again.

**Normal POV**

The two teens fell asleep in each others arms as Lyra sang to them. Meanwhile, in the strawberry patch, the seeds had already sprouted and started to grow. Little wings formed on the backs of the little creatures that Lucy had unknowingly planted. Once they were aware of the fish, they began to eat it greedily and also test out their new wings. Occasionally, some high pitched "Aye!" sounds could be heard around the garden, but no one was awake to hear it. What had Natsu and Lucy planted? No, not strawberries. They don't have wings, but exceeds do!

**Creepy old guy/person who sold Lucy the seeds POV**

_Wonderful, those seeds should have sprouted by now. I hope I didn't cause too much trouble for that blonde. At least those 50 flying cats aren't in my hands now. Maybe I'll drop by her house sometime and give her some strawberries though, just to apologize for the mess I've caused. But no, that'd be a little creepy._

**TBC**


	4. Chapter 4: Mama!

Chapter 4

**AN: Hey readers! Thanks for the reviews and favorites and such :) I'll try my best to make this story really great! I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'll also be updating tomorrow as a Christmas present to everyone. Please review if you haven't, I could use some pointers. Oh, and yes, there are fifty exceeds. I mean, there were fifty seeds, so fifty erm…plants…are what Lucy expected.**

**LINE BREAKKKKKYYYYY**

**Normal POV**

It's morning and the two teens are still fast asleep in each others arms. The sun was out and shining brightly, making little rainbows as the light reflects off of the moist grass. No clouds were in the sky. The weather was perfect, maybe too perfect. Meanwhile, the exceeds in Lucy's strawberry patch had matured to almost full size, leaving little space to move around. It was getting really cramped in the little netted cage that Lucy and Natsu had set up for them. After some struggling to remove the netting, the frame collapsed and the exceeds were freed. The fifty exceeds fell into a heap outside the patch. When they got up, they looked over to the sleeping couple and identified them as their parents. Lazily, they went over to Lucy and Natsu and they huddled around and on top of them. They seemed pretty attached to their "parents," mainly Lucy though. However, it's only natural for children to be closer to their mothers. That's when Happy appeared.

**Happy POV**

_Hmm, Natsu didn't come home last night. He's probably here at Lucy's. I wonder if she has any fish for me. _I flew to Lucy's window and went into her apartment. _If she doesn't want Natsu and I to drop by all the time, she really needs to start locking that window. Not that I mind sleeping here or taking her fish. Wait, something's missing…Where are Lucy and Natsu?! _I flew downstairs and started to look for them. Well, to be honest, I did look in the fridge first. _No fish! _My eyes started to water. _How could she use up all the fish! There were so many yesterday! _That's when I noticed that Lucy's back door was open. _Lucy, you really must want to get murdered in your sleep or something to leave your back door open. Tch._ I went outside and what I saw didn't really surprise me that much. Natsu finally told Lucy how he felt about her. I have been waiting for this for months! _Now I have a legitimate excuse to eat her fish all the time! All those exceeds though, how are they going to take care of them? There has to be at least 50! I'll help them out I guess. It's my duty as the uncle! _"Huehuehueh! This is going to be fun!" I said to myself. Lucy started to move around. _It's about time she woke up! She usually wakes up around seven and it's already ten thirty. The guild is probably wondering where they are too._

**Lucy POV**

I heard someone cackle and it woke me up. _I guess I really am a light sleeper._ I looked up, but it was dark. _Mavis! Have I gone blind? Or is it still night? No, it can't be night, I feel the warmth from sunlight on my legs. _I sighed. _I guess I have gone blind, since I can't see the sun when I can feel it. _I struggled out of Natsu's grip and cautiously got up. Whatever was obscuring my vision went away. "I can see! I'm not really blind!" I shouted excitedly.

"Yay! Mama can see! She's not blind!" yelled many high pitched voices.

The voices were coming from below me. I looked down and saw around 50 small exceeds. Well, they were about Happy's size but still slightly smaller. Then I heard some familiar cackling. I looked up and saw Happy with a smug look on his face. When he finished laughing, he smirked at me and said, "Lushee, you don't know where they came from, do you?" I nodded. I was pretty confused. _Did he leave them here?_

"Lushee, you planted those! They came from the seeds. Look at the package more carefully. It clearly shows seeds with wings and cat ears. How could you not notice that?" Happy burst out laughing again.

"You stupid cat! Why didn't you tell me before I planted all of them! How will I take care of them all?" I sweat dropped as I started thinking of how much space they'd take in my apartment. _I'd have to buy a house…A giant house. How will I afford that when I can barely keep up with this house's rent?_

"Don't worry, Lushee!" exclaimed the blue exceed, "I'll do my duty as their uncle and taking them fishing from time to time!"

I subconsciously face-palmed. "Since when were you their uncle?" I asked, but by that time, Happy was already preoccupied with the many exceeds still sprawled about my yard. One walked up to me and said, "Mama, don't you want us?" She was a beautiful light yellow exceed with sparkling purple eyes. _Sooo cute! _I picked her up and cradled her in my arms like an infant. "Of course I want, you, silly! Hmm…I'll name you Toni!" I exclaimed. The little exceed jumped up for joy, flew out of my arms, and promptly sat on my head. By this time, Natsu was starting to wake up. _I better prepare some food for him, or he'll just eat everything within reach. _With Toni still on my head and some other exceeds following me, I went into the kitchen and started to prepare some breakfast.

**Natsu POV**

I woke up and discovered that my Luce wasn't next to me anymore. My sense of smell soon led me to believe that she was cooking breakfast. _Yes! Food!_ _Wait, why are there so many Happys? Did he get cloned? And since when did he get to be so many different colors? Or maybe Happy has had some kids that I didn't know about. _ "Lushee where'd all the exceeds come from?" I asked.

"Happy told me that they came from those seeds we planted! Weird, right? But, they've become rather attached to us and I want to keep them! Toni, go talk to your daddy!" Lucy yelled from the kitchen, "Bernie, Flight, Celes, Loy, go with Toni and get acquainted with Natsu.

Five exceeds flew out of the kitchen and crashed into me. "Hi daddy! I'm Toni," said the yellow exceed. "I'm Bernie," said the black exceed with a gray lightning shaped mark on his back. "These are the twins: Flight and Loy," said Bernie, pointing to two black and white exceeds with cowbells attached to their necks. "Lastly, this is Celes, She's the oldest out of all of us," he said, pointing to a gorgeous dark blue exceed with a star next to her left eye."

"So, you're my kids? Or are you related to Happy? He's the blue exceed with the Fairy Tail mark on his back and a green backpack. Anyways, isn't Tony a guy's name?" I asked.

"It's a girl's name if you spell it with an "i" at the end," chirped Toni, as she sat on my head. "Mama's making fried fish and fire chicken!"

Just then, Luce called from the kitchen saying the food was done. I ran like the wind to get some food, leading a large trail of exceeds behind me.

**TBC**

**AN: The story so far will revolve around a few main exceeds. Don't fret, all will be included because they all have a purpose. Hope you liked! Happy Holidays, and I'll Update either tonight or tomorrow!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Family Visits the Guild

Chapter 5

**AN: Merry Christmas to all of you lovelies! Here's your present; I hope you enjoy! Oh, and as a tribute to callmek1ng, your Tony is now in the story. Also, if anyone wants an exceed to be named something particular, just post it in a review or PM me. As of now, only a few of the 50 exceeds have names.**

**Normal POV**

Lucy, Natsu, and the exceeds had just finished eating their breakfast and Lucy was doing the dishes. After she finished, she announced that she was going to get ready to go to the guild and that they should do the same. She wanted every exceed to get a guild mark like Happy did. As she went upstairs to take a bath, Toni followed her, leaving Natsu, Celes, Bernie, Flight, Loy, and the other exceeds in her kitchen. When he heard the water in Lucy's shower start to run, Natsu began plotting.

**Natsu POV**

_Now that Lucy's taking a bath, she won't be able to hear me form my very own exceed army!_ "Hey, kids? I have an idea. It involves all of you, so listen closely," I said. I heard a chorus of 'Yes, Daddy!' and one 'Yea, Boss' from Bernie. The exceeds gathered around me, listening intently. "Ok, so we divide you up into two teams of twenty-five and you all get in rows of five, so basically five rows of five per team. You shall be my army and we will storm into the Guild and get loads of free food! Nobody resists commands from an army!" I announced, smiling proudly because of my genius scheme. _My scheme couldn't possibly fail! I got Luce with me and we could each command a team! And even if my plan isn't that great, Luce is smarter than me, and maybe even smarter than Happy, so she could figure something out! _A small voice broke my train of thought, "Hey, fire breath, will this actually work?" asked a rather large white exceed in a weird tan outfit. _This one reminds me of Gray, damn that stripper, infecting the minds of my children before even meeting them! But more importantly, why is his tail so short? It's like a stub!_ "Of course it'll work! Oh, and why are you dressed like a bunny? I thought that was Lucy's thing." I replied, putting on my trademark grin. "Say, though, you don't have a name…From now on, you are Tony! With a 'y,' not like that other Toni with an 'i'."

The exceed only grunted in response and yelled, "You idiot toaster oven, it's a llama costume! LLAMA, not bunny! Got it?" _Great, this one also exhibits traits from Gajeel. How is this even possible?_ As I sat in Luce's kitchen, absorbed in my thoughts of Tony and my exceed army, Bernie was busy organizing the two teams for me and Luce to lead. _I like him; he actually has faith in his dad, unlike someone named Tony._

**Tony POV**

_Why does my 'dad' have to be such a goddamn idiot? Bunny, really? This is clearly a llama suit! Mavis, I'm irritated! I just want to bite his face off!_

**Lucy POV**

As I started the water for my bath, I also started thinking about Natsu and the exceeds. _Maybe I shouldn't have left Natsu alone with all of them. For all I know, he could set them on fire or go through my stuff or read my book to them. Gahhh! This is frustrating! _I must have had a really upset look on my face because Toni grabbed onto my pajama pants and asked me if I was ok. "Of course I'm doing ok, silly! Why would you think otherwise?" I asked, in the most motherly voice I could make. _I should ask Mirajane for pointers on how to manage…Children? OR maybe I could ask Lisanna, since she helped Natsu take care of Happy when she was little. _"Toni, I'm going to take a bath. You can join me if you want," I said, smiling brightly. "Sure! I'd love that!" squealed Toni. I stripped my clothing and sat in the bathtub, which was now full. Toni hopped in after me, which surprised me a little. _Don't exceeds hate water?_ "Hey, Toni, why don't you hate water like other exceeds?" I inquired.

"I don't know if the other exceeds hate water, but I like it. When I was born, the grass was really moist and I slept on it next to you and daddy, and I really liked how it felt. So I guess I don't mind the water because it reminds me of the first time I saw you!" she replied.

_Aww! Can she get any cuter? _I snapped out of my thoughts when Toni threw my sponge at me. _I guess I spaced out or something. _"Mama, you were smiling weirdly to yourself. Daddy was right; you are weird! Higihigi!" exclaimed the light yellow exceed.

**Normal POV**

Lucy was right, she probably shouldn't have trusted Natsu with watching the exceeds. Then again, she didn't know he was smart enough to raise a miniature army. Toni jumped out of the water and onto Lucy's head. They stayed like that for a while, and then got out so Lucy could get dressed. After Lucy got dressed, she found a short purple tank top and put it on Toni as a dress. Then they went downstairs to fetch Natsu and the exceeds and to start walking to the Guild. It took a few minutes to round up all the exceeds, and Lucy quickly found out that Bernie and Celes were the two leaders whom the other exceeds would obey instantly. When they were all outside, all of the exceeds except Toni, who was sleeping on Lucy's head separated into two teams of twenty-five with five rows of five. One team had an exceed short because Toni was with Lucy when Natsu discussed his plan. However, Happy stepped up to take her place, and the teams were complete.

Natsu, who seemed deep in thought, randomly blurted, "Luce, you should lead your squadron, I mean team?" Lucy was rather surprised at Natsu's outburst.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. She turned around to ask the exceeds if they knew anything about it, but they were already in Natsu's 'squadron' formation. Lucy put two and two together and loudly shouted, "You IDIOT! Why'd you build an army? What do you plan on doing? Raiding the fish markets?" Suddenly, Lucy's face turned red. While yelling at Natsu, they had earned the attention of many people passing by and were being glared at. The glares only intensified when the people noticed the multitude of 'walking cats' in army lineup. Lucy promptly hid behind Natsu, to try to not be seen. She didn't want to leave her "children," but she was also quite embarrassed. When the couple and their many "children" got to the guild, they were greeted by a flying table.

"Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!" shouted Natsu, as he punched away the table, which conveniently landed on Gajeel.

"Oi, flame bastard, don't go sta-…What the hell? When did you get that many exceeds?! You have an entire army of them!" roared Gajeel. Pantherlily nodded.

All eyes went on the blonde mage and her pink haired partner. Random guild members began to bombard them with questions and form a circle around them. Natsu wasn't prepared to answer the questions, so he just grabbed Lucy's hand and ran to the bar, so Mirajane could put the guild stamp on all of the exceeds. Meanwhile, the exceeds all got frightened, except for Toni who was still fast asleep on Lucy's head, and flew up onto the Guild's ceiling rafters and sat there. Lucy, of course, was the only one who noticed this. So, when Natsu realized the exceeds weren't there, he went off on a rampage, questioning all "suspicious" guild members about stealing his "precious babies except Tony"

Lucy sweat dropped at that statement, since she thought he was talking about Toni, her favorite out of all of the exceeds. Finally, Lucy got irritated by Natsu's stupidity and pointed at the ceiling. Immediately after, he shrieked, "My babies! How did they get up there! Happy, get them down!"

Lucy consoled him by saying, "Natsu. They're exceeds, remember? They have aera and flew up there themselves. They were just a little nervous about entering the Guild for the first time, and they are perfectly capable of getting down here themselves, you idiot."

At that moment, Mira showed up with the Guild stamp. Toni was the first to get her stamp. She got a small pink stamp on her right paw, to be like Lucy. Bernie got a yellow stamp next to his right eye. Celes got a white stamp on the tip of her tail. The twins, Loy and Flight, both got red stamps on their stomachs. All of the other exceeds except Tony got green stamps on their backs to be like their Uncle Happy. Tony got a black stamp on the back of his left ear. After the exceeds got their stamps, Lucy let them mingle with the guild members.

Flight and Loy immediately got attached to Gray, affectionately calling him "Popsicle Sensei." Celes and Charle became quick friends because of their mutual love for Darjeeling tea and dislike of Happy. Toni went back to sleeping on Lucy's head. Bernie flew over to Laxus, who was drinking beer in a corner and being anti-social. Tony went over to Gajeel and asked what the name of his exceed was. After laughing at Gajeel for naming his male exceed Lily, he flew over to Lily and began to tease him about his girly name, calling him "Onee-san." Soon, Lisanna ran over to Lucy and asked about the name of a particular light green exceed with blue eyes.

"Her name is Minty, Lis. She seems attached to you. I hope you don't mind," said the bubbly celestial mage.

"Not at all! She's so cute! I'd love to have her follow me around," squealed Lisanna.

After that, Lucy asked Lisanna for tips on how to raise exceeds. "You see, since you helped Natsu raise Happy, I was wondering if you could tell me how to take care of my exceeds," said Lucy.

"Of course! You just have to treat them like a normal baby, except without the diapers. They're generally potty trained. However, keep a close eye on them. As you know, they have already activated their aera, so they could be quite troublesome. Also, most of them don't like water, so try not to forcefully get them wet. They might claw you. It happened to me once when I tried to give Happy a bath. Other than that, I don't think there's anything you need to know!" Lisanna replied cheerfully.

**Lisanna POV**

_Lucy is so sweet! I'm really glad we became good friends after I came back from Edolas._ _I'm also really happy that she came to me for advice on this. After all, she could have asked Natsu himself of maybe Wendy since she has had Charle for a long time too. _After I finished giving Lucy advice on how to take care of her exceeds, I heard Mira calling me. "Lu, I have to go, Mira's calling me. I'll talk to you later, though!" I smiled and ran off to Mira, with Minty sitting on my shoulder.

**Lucy POV**

"Thanks, Lis!" I shouted after her. _Lisanna is so kind, I'll have to thank her somehow for the advice. I'll think of something later I guess. _Toni was still sleeping on my head. _Mavis, how long do exceeds like her sleep?_ I walked over to Mirajane and started to ask for tips about being more motherly. Since I have only ever been somewhat of a mother figure to Happy and Plue, I really need some help.

**TBC**

**AN: callmek1ng is doing a poll **_**on deviantart**_** to decide the design of Tony, which is coincidentally a tribute character to her creation "Tony the Llama." I'd really appreciate it if you could vote on which design you think is best. This is the link: (remove the spaces)**

w w w .callmek1ng .deviantart gallery/ # /d5pacdh


	6. Chapter 6: Socializing and Punching Ice

Chapter 6

**AN: I still need names for exceeds. If anyone has any suggestions, please PM me or write them in a review. Also, Lisanna is going to be her nice self in this story. She's really sweet to everyone in the anime, so it kind of irritates me how people always write about her being a bitch to Lucy. Don't get me wrong; people can make it work in the story plot-wise. It's just my opinion on the matter. Anyways, enjoy chapter 6!^^**

**Lucy POV**

"Hey Mira, can you give me some tips on how to act more motherly? I'm not too good at it, since I've only ever been somewhat of a mother figure to Plue and Happy," I said. _Mira's advice is like gold! After this talk, I'll definitely be able to pull of being a mother to fifty exceeds!_

"Sure, Lucy! I thought you'd never ask! First, make sure you smile a lot and also try not to raise your voice unless one of the exceeds has done something _really_ bad. By that I mean unless they're wreaking Natsu-like havoc, try not to yell at them. Kids can get pretty scared when their parents raise their voices at them, especially if they're young. Second, if they seem sad or scared or are experiencing any negative emotion, to hold their hands, or in this case just cradle them in your arms since they're so tiny. Third, if they tell you something, listen to them, no matter how ridiculous their story seems. They are part of Fairy Tail after all, so you never know what could be going on. So, in a sense, anything could potentially be truthful even if it's _really_ far-fetched. That's about it. Otherwise, just make them food and give them love and a place to sleep," Mira chirped.

"Thanks, Mira! I'll try my best!" I threw my fist in the air; I'm ready to tackle this parent thing!

"Oh, and Lucy? What's this one's name? She's been clinging to my leg ever since she got her stamp," said Mira. Mira then bent down and scooped the little exceed into her arms. She was an unusually small, golden exceed with hazel eyes.

_Hmm…What should I name her? Well, her fur is a shiny gold color…I'll go with Goldie! _"Her name is Goldie, would you like to watch her for the day? I could use all the help I can get; they can be such a handful! You should have seen my kitchen this morning after breakfast. There was barely any room on the floor to walk!" I exclaimed.

"I'd love to watch her! Thanks Lucy!" Mira squealed, while holding Goldie tightly against her chest. Mira then placed Goldie on top of a small satin cushion and placed her on the bar.

"No problem, Mira!" I yelled, while walking over to Natsu. He was rather engrossed in a conversation with an exceed that had fur the color of flames. _No wonder Natsu's so interested in that particular one. I just hope he doesn't accidentally mistake him for fire and eat him. _I mentally kicked myself. _No, not even Natsu could be that stupid, or at least I hope not._

**Natsu POV (finally!)**

Luce walked over, so I put my conversation with Charcoal on a hold. I grinned and began to chat with Luce, "Hey Luce! This is Charcoal, if you're wondering. I named him that because flames turn everything to charcoal! Smart, right?" I'm pretty proud of myself for thinking Coal's name through like that. _That'll show Luce I'm just as smart as her!_

"Haha! That's a great name for him!" she giggled, "But I would have named him Igneel in honor of your dad."

_Shit! She has a point there. Why didn't I think of that? If I could slap myself now without looking like a complete dumbass, I would. _"That's a pretty good idea Luce, but someday I'll find the real Igneel. So, we don't have to name anything in his honor for now! Plus, Coal likes his name, right, Coal?" I asked.

"Coal says yea, Coal likes Coal's name a lot!" spoke Charcoal. Lucy's eyes were sparkling. "Soo cute!" she exclaimed as she picked Coal up and put him on her shoulder.

I leaned in and give Luce a quick peck on the lips, "Just like you, my Luce," I whispered. She began to blush and attempted to use Coal to cover her face. Coal was confused by that hopped off of her shoulder onto mine. He grabbed my scarf, hopped back onto Luce's shoulder and gave it to her to cover her still red face.

"Coal says don't make mommy feel uncomfortable! Coal says he doesn't like it," uttered Charcoal. _Aww, why is he siding with Luce? At least he didn't steal my scarf and give it to Gray. _A chill ran down my spine as I thought that. At first I was confused, but then I knew why. The Polar Stripper was walking towards us, holding Flight and Loy.

"Oi, Volcano head! Your kids want you!" squawked the Stripper, who then threw Flight and Loy at me. Flight, Loy, and Luce looked absolutely terrified. My fatherly instincts were surfacing and right as I was about to punch that bastard's face in, Luce did the job for me and Boxer Boy crashed into the wall.

"Wow, Luce! I've never seen you punch like that before!" I shouted. All eyes were on Lucy. She's usually the type never to hurt her friends or get into fights, so they probably thought something terrible must've happened to set her off like that. Ice Princess got up and walked over to Lucy, apologizing.

"Heh. Sorry I threw your kids across a room, Luce. It won't happen again I think." Ice head subconsciously shed his boxers as he was apologizing, making Lucy shriek and kick him into 'Probably never having children's land.'

_He deserved that…At least now there won't be any mini Grays stripping around the guild in the future, I hope. _Although I did feel somewhat sorry for the exhibitionist because I know how hard Luce kicks, I would never tell him that.Juvia was even too busy to notice her love's misery, since all of her love was now being showered on the white exceed that I named Snow while Luce was taking a bath.

**Bernie POV (I bet you weren't expecting that!)**

_Talking to this Laxus guy is pretty fun. Apparently the Guild thinks he's pretty antisocial, but he seems to like me. _"So Laxus, what kind of mage are you?" I inquired.

"I'm a lighting dragon slayer and an S-Class mage here. What about you, cat? Do you fly like Happy?" Laxus asked gruffly.

"Yea, I also use aera. It's pretty fun to fly, even though I haven't been doing it for very long." I spoke.

Laxus smiled, "Maybe you could come on missions with me sometimes. It'd be pretty convenient to be able to fly on some of the ones in the mountains. Plus, I like you. You even have a lightning mark on your back, which matches my magic."

Needless to say, I was surprised. Extremely surprised. _Who knew Laxus could be this…nice? When Lucy told everyone about the people in the guild during breakfast, she mentioned Laxus as being a rather cold and distant person. It's weird how he seems somewhat attached to me. I doubt he's invited anyone on missions with him except his little Raijunshu lap dogs sitting over there. _"If you want," I said while smirking.

"Then it's settled. From now on, you're my partner," he roared. _Well, this was rather unexpected. I thought I was only agreeing to go on a few missions with him. Oh well, his partnership idea sounds fun too._

**TBC**

**Brief AN: Callmek1ng's poll is still up for the design of Tony (see last chapter for description). Since links don't work, it's in callmek1ng's deviantart gallery, the entry labeled "Tony the Exceed (vote for design)." Please vote if you have time~^^ **


	7. Chapter 7: Romantic Dinner,First Mission

Chapter 7

**Normal POV**

After a few more hours at the Guild, Lucy decided it was getting late. She and Natsu gathered the exceeds, with the exceptions of Bernie, who was on a mission to Aclypha with Laxus, and Celes, who was currently staying with Wendy and Charle. The large group then left the Guild and flew to Lucy's apartment. When they arrived, Lucy frantically began running around the apartment gathering all possible bedding materials so the exceeds would sleep comfortably. She made sure to set aside places for Bernie and Celes too for when they come back. Natsu, much to Lucy's surprise, was cooking dinner, and he wasn't burning everything. The exceeds were all sitting on Lucy's bed and talking to "Uncle Happy" about their adventures at the Guild. Soon, Natsu called everyone downstairs for dinner. The exceeds were the first to arrive. Like Happy, they all had monstrous appetites, except for Toni, Flight, and Loy. While the exceeds were feasting, Natsu was getting impatient. Lucy still hadn't come downstairs. Natsu promptly ran upstairs to find Lucy laying pillows out on the floor. Natsu snuck up behind her and wrapped a cloth over her eyes. Then he picked Lucy up and carried her bridal style down the stairs, through the kitchen, and to the garden. He put her down and told her she could take the blindfold.

**Natsu POV**

Luce took her blindfold off and I waited for her reaction. After a few seconds of staring, Luce hugged me tightly and whispered, "I love it," into my ear.

"I'm so happy to have someone like you Luce," I told her as I led her to her pagoda, "That's why I did all this." I had strung lights around her pagoda and weaved roses in the wires. It looked wonderful, like the roses were glowing! On the little table in the pagoda, I placed a candle, a bouquet of flowers, and some freshly cooked pasta. All in all, it looked magnificent, like something that would only happen in a fairy tale. _Well, Luce is my princess after all, so she deserves this!_

"Natsu, you're just full of surprises!" Lucy sang, "This food is actually edible! Where did you learn to not burn food?"

"Luceeee!" I pouted, while eating my pasta, "You're supposed to be praising me! I'm awesome!" I exclaimed boldly.

"Pfft…Pfft…Sure, glorious pffft…dragon pfft…powered Natsu of Fiore!" Luce chimed, with a wide grin on her face.

"What's so funny Luce?" I asked.

Luce burst out laughing. I am so confused. _Why is she laughing? I didn't say anything funny…_ "It's you, Natsu! You have pasta sauce on your nose! You look like that reindeer that people sing about…Uhh…Rudolf!" Luce squealed loudly. She leaned over the table, cupped my face in her hands, and licked the sauce off my nose.

_Wow, Luce! I didn't know you were this feisty._ I smirked, "Well, Luce, I didn't know you were into that sort of thing." I made my smirk wider and attempted to wink seductively at her. _I can play this game too, my Luce. _I failed though, since Luce burst out laughing for the second time in five minutes.

"Natsu! You looked like that Ichiya guy when he's all like 'MEN! SMELL MY PARFUM!'" Luce continued to laugh for a while. Then she drank a glass of water to calm herself down.

We finished our dinner in silence and Luce excused herself from the table. She walked into the house and began to clean up after the exceeds. I quickly grabbed the dishes and ran in after her. I put the dishes into the sink and forced her upstairs. "Luce, take a night off! I'll clean up after them!" I yelled. I did the dishes and began to take the exceeds upstairs. A lot of them were sleeping, so I had to carry them upstairs. After five trips, they were all upstairs and tucked in. At that moment, Luce stepped out of the shower. She was wearing a pink nightgown that stopped mid thigh. _Fuck. Think unsexy thoughts. Think unsexy thoughts. Uhh…Gray. Gray. Elfman. Gray. NAB! GRAMPS! ICHIYA! There, that's better. I almost had a nosebleed there._ Luce and I climbed into her bed and fell asleep.

**Lucy POV**

I woke up the next morning feeling amazing. _I feel so refreshed! I guess this is what Natsu's cooking does to a person. I'll thank him again later._ I removed Natsu's arms from around my waist and got out of bed. Then I grabbed some clothes and went into my bathroom to take a quick shower. After five minutes, I reappeared in my room and woke up the exceeds. Then we went downstairs and I made breakfast. I cooked the rest of the fish for them, and made Natsu and myself some omelets. After that, I went upstairs to wake Natsu up.

"Natsu, wake up," I cooed into his ear. _He looks so adorable when he's asleep! He looks nothing like a person that could destroy entire cities! _Natsu didn't respond. I leaned in closer and kissed him softly on the lips. He pulled me on the bed and wrapped his arms around me.

"Five more minutes," he groaned.

"No! Natsu, the food is getting cold and I already let you sleep in. C'mon! We're going to the Guild to get a mission after we eat," I chirped. _That ought to wake him up! I'm so smart!_

I was right, after hearing that, Natsu bolted up, threw on some clothes and hopped down the stairs. Then he ran into the kitchen and began to eat. _How does he go down an entire flight of stairs in one jump?_ _Then again, he is Natsu._ I went downstairs and gasped at what I saw. Natsu was shoving plates of food into his mouth, even the exceeds food. This caused a massive fight between Natsu and the exceeds. I went into the kitchen and shoved a metal pan into Natsu's mouth. Thinking it was food; he bit down on it hardly. The color drained out of his face and a single tear came out of his left eye. _I guess that was a little too extreme_.

"Sorry Natsu! You were a little out of control, so I didn't quite know what to do. But how could you steal our children's food?" I exclaimed.

"Heh. I was hungry?" Natsu grinned and began to pet Flight and Loy. Toni flew over to me and sat on my head.

After about an hour, Natsu, the exceeds and I were almost at the guild. Natsu was looking around for 'suspicious people that would harm us.' Suddenly, he shouted something I thought I would never hear out of anyone's mouth.

"Look! There's a platypus in that tree over there!" he childishly screamed, pointing at a tall tree that had lost its leaves.

_There actually is a platypus! Wow! I…I want it. No, Lucy! You have the exceeds!_ "Silly me, how could I think of that," I mumbled to myself. Then I started thinking about my future with Natsu and the exceeds._ We're like a real family! _I started smiling to myself.

"Thinking what, Luce? And you're smiling to yourself weirdly again. Just saying," spoke Natsu.

I began to blush. I should stop smiling to myself if people will think of me as a weirdo for it. We reached the Guild and quickly ran inside, dodging flying chairs, tables, and boxers. "Gray! Stop stripping in front of children! Nobody would want to see you naked! You'll blind Wendy and the exceeds!" I screamed.

**Natsu POV**

I ran up to the request board and picked one at random. Then I walked over to the bar, ignoring insults from the Stripper, and showed Mira the request to be approved. "I'm doing this one with Luce and our exceeds, not the entire Team Natsu," I said to clarify.

"Are you sure they'll be safe? This one looks a little dangerous. I just don't want anyone to get hurt, including yourself," Mira spoke with a worried look on her face.

_I haven't even looked at the request. Whatever, it can't be that bad. _"Don't worry Mira! We'll be fine!" I said confidently.

"I'll let you go," she said sweetly. Then she transformed into her satan soul and gave me a glare that said 'you will die a painful death very soon', "If you dare let Lucy or your children get hurt, I will make sure you get a terrible punishment."

"N-no problem Mira. I won't fail you!" I shouted. Then I ran over to Luce, grabbed her hand, and ran out of the guild. We ran to the park, and then stopped so I could show her the request.

**Request: **

**Defeat and Capture the rogue mage "Reaper." He has been terrorizing people in Bosco, East of Fiore. Lately he has been seen in the village Joya where he killed ten people. We will send any further information through telepathy. He must be stopped as soon as possible. **

**Reward: 1,000,000 Jewels**

**-The Magic Council**

**Lucy POV**

"Natsu, this looks a little dangerous. Are you sure about this?" I asked.

"Of course, Luce! We're both really strong, and the kids can all fly, so they'll be safe from harm. Plus, I've never heard of this guy, so he can't be that bad. And the reward is so big that even if we destroy stuff, we'd still get a lot so you could pay your rent!" he spoke, a toothy grin plastered on his face.

"Well, if you put it that way, let's go! I don't think we need to pack much, so let's go to my apartment and grab a bag of food and maybe some clothes. You left some clothes there a few weeks ago, so we don't need to stop at your house," I said.

The exceeds nodded, "I'll bring a bag of fish!" shouted Coal and Loy.

We walked back to my apartment and packed. I asked Virgo to hold some supplies for me in the spirit world so I could have access to them without carrying them. When we were done, it was one in the afternoon. I gave Natsu a motion sickness pill, which he gladly accepted, and we walked to the train station. I managed to get us a large private booth for only three thousand jewels! _At least this way I wouldn't have to pay for individual seats for all of the exceeds._ We would be on the train for two days, since Bosco was an entirely different country. Then we'd have to walk to Joya. _I hope it isn't too far. I don't know if the exceeds will be able to handle it if it's more than a few miles._

**TBC**


	8. Chapter 8: The Reaper

Chapter 8

**AN: Yes, I am a really terrible person. I'm soooo sorry for not updating in…about a month…heh. At first, I was really busy, and then I just procrastinated for a while and thought of some new ideas for the plot. Then I had exams, which were a little stressful and kept me occupied. I have a long weekend now, so I'll update today and possibly again by Wednesday (I hope…heh. I'm so lazy…). In conclusion, here's your chapter! I hope you like it. Please read and review, I really love feedback and suggestions for stuff. Also exceed names please? It's really hard to think of good ones.**

**Recap (Lucy POV):**

I gave Natsu a motion sickness pill, which he gladly accepted, and we walked to the train station. I managed to get us a large private booth for only three thousand jewels! _At least this way I wouldn't have to pay for individual seats for all of the exceeds._ We would be on the train for two days, since Bosco was an entirely different country. Then we'd have to walk to Joya. _I hope it isn't too far. I don't know if the exceeds will be able to handle it if it's more than a few miles._

**Natsu POV**

For once, I'm not getting motion sickness! Those pills Wendy made really work. I'm sitting next to Luce in our booth. Even though it's a large booth, the floor and the seats are covered in exceeds. There's no room to even walk. So, it would be rather inconvenient if I had to get up and use the bathroom or something like that. I leaned over and snuggled my head into Luce's neck, breathing in the scent of her strawberry-vanilla body wash. _Her scent is always so calming, I love it!_ "Luce, you smell nice," I mumbled. Her eyes drifted open from her slumber. _Crap, I didn't mean to wake you up!_ "Sorry for waking you up, Luce! I didn't think I was talking that loudly," I spoke.

"Silly, you didn't wake me up. I was hungry," she stated as she gave me a quick peck on the lips. Then she reached over to the seat opposite us and grabbed the large picnic basket Mira had so kindly packed for our journey. "Want a sandwich, Natsu?" she asked sleepily.

"Sure, spicy chicken sandwich please," I said, smiling lazily. I felt something stir on my lap and I discovered that Coal woke up from his nap. "Want food, Coal?" I asked softly, so I wouldn't wake the others.

"Can I have some of yours? I wanna try that spicy chicken stuff!" he said excitedly.

I put him on my shoulder so he'd have better access to the food. I then tied a small napkin around his neck so he wouldn't make a mess.

"D-Dadd..T-too…t-i-gh-tt.." Coal croaked.

_Shit! I'm choking him! Lucyyy help me! I don't know how to do this! _"Erm…How do I undo this. Oh! Tie this part...No...That doesn't look right…Luce! Luce! Coal's dying!" I shouted. _She'll fix this. She's the smarter one, so it'll be ok. Coal won't die..._

Lucy had an alarmed look on her face. She snatched Coal off of my shoulder and immediately pulled out a knife. I looked at her in horror. _ Is she going to kill him? _Luce held the knife to Coal's neck. I couldn't watch. I heard the noise of something ripping. I cringed at the thought of her cutting Coal. _She's his mom! How could she do this?_ I turned back around to yell at Luce for being so reckless, but I stopped when I noticed she had only cut the napkin off of Coal's neck, since it was too tight to simply untie. It would also take too long to simply untie it, since Coal was close to suffocating. _I have never been more scared in my life! Well, except when Luce gets in danger on missions...But still._

**Normal POV**

The rest if their train ride went without incident. They got off at the Bosco station and began their walk to Joya. While on the platform, they had inquired how long the walk to Joya would be. Apparently it was only 10 miles away. The distance wasn't too terrible for the exceeds, so they decided to walk there that day despite it being late. At the advise of the villagers, they took the forest route since it would save them a mile or two of extra walking. The forest was lush and green and filled with woodland creatures. The exceeds flew ahead and played in the trees, much to Natsu and Lucy's amusement.

"Be careful!" Lucy shouted, "Don't stray off the path! I don't want to have to look for you!"

"Ok, mommy!" The exceeds chorused mischievously, with the exception of Toni, who was peacefully asleep on Lucy's head.

"Natsu, maybe we should check on them," said Lucy worriedly. The exceeds had already gone around half a mile ahead of them and the two mages were losing sight of them. Natsu nodded his head in agreement with Lucy and grabbed her hand. They started running to catch up with the exceeds, with Toni hanging on to Lucy's head for her life.

**TIMESKIPPY IS HERE! **

**Lucy POV**

_I can't believe it's so late! Well, at least we made it to Joya without harm._ Natsu, the exceeds, and I went to the village inn to get a room for the night. Starting the mission would be pointless now. If we're all so exhausted, we can't do our job properly, and then "Reaper" might get away. Or worse, he or she might harm the exceeds. I will do everything I can to keep them safe. I told Natsu and the exceeds to stand outside the inn while I get the room. _Having 50 cats might…disturb…the innkeepers._ "One room please," I asked the sweet old lady at the front desk.

"Are you by yourself or with others?" she inquired, "We only have two rooms available. One has one bed, for three thousand jewels per night. The other has two beds and a fireplace, for six thousand jewels per night. It's a deluxe sweet, and it has such a marvelous view!"

"I'm with a friend and our pet. So, I guess I'll take the deluxe room. Before I forget, are animals allowed?" I wondered out loud.

"Of course, deary! I love animals," she exclaimed while beaming, "Especially cats, they're so adorable!"

"Well, here's 12,000 jewel. I think I only need the room for two nights. Oh, and thank you! We have cats actually," I smiled. The old lady gave me my room key and I put my stuff in the room. After, I went back downstairs to get Natsu. "Natsu, the innkeeper allows cats, but to be safe, they should fly into the room through the window. I don't want the sweet old lady to get a heart attack when she sees all of them," I stated.

Natsu nodded in agreement. I pointed to where our room was and the exceeds flew in through the open window. I jumped on Natsu's back and he carried me to our room. _He didn't even complain about my weight once! Is he feeling ok?_ When we got to the room, I opened the door to find the exceeds looking through all of the stuff. Flight and Loy were digging through my suitcase. Goldie was throwing fish everywhere. Coal was lighting a fire. Wait...Fire? "COAL! You little pyro cat!" I screamed, while throwing a bucket of water on him and the flame. The other exceeds were no better. The once immaculately clean room was now a war zone. "Everyone go take a bath!" I shouted, "Natsu, go with them. Toni, you stay here and help me. Happy, you're in charge or everyone!"

Toni hopped over to me from her corner. She wasn't participating in the destruction, so she didn't have to leave while I began to clean. First I straightened up the beds. Then I put my and Natsu's things into the wardrobe. Then I picked up the random things…and Fish…Off of the floor and shoved them into a drawer for the exceeds. _They can sort their things out later. I just want everything to be nice and tidy. _I jumped on the bed and started to write a new chapter for my novel. Toni sat in my lap and snuggled into my stomach. _ Gahh she's so cute! I wonder if babies are like this. _

**Natsu POV**

I can't believe she left Happy in charge. I mean really, Happy? I'm good at…stuff. _No, you're not. You destroy things. That's about it. _Even my conscience is against me. I guess Happy isn't a bad choice after all.

"Yes! And then I, King Happy, beat Natsu at battle! Even Erza! Hueh hueh hueh hueh!" shouted Happy, splashing everyone with water as his arms flailed about. I face palmed, although Happy didn't notice and kept up with his charade.

"Really, Uncle Happy?" asked a blood red exceed with orange wings.

"Of course…Who are you?" asked Happy, giving me a confused look.

"That's…Uh…Igneel! Yes! You are Igneel," I exclaimed.

"Hmm…Igneel. I like that! You're so smart, Daddy!" chirped the little exceed.

"I wonder how Luce's doing. You guys sure left her a giant mess to clean! That wasn't very nice, you know," I said, trying to be fatherly.

"You lllllllllike her!" Happy squeaked, rolling his ls. _God, I hate it when he does that. _

After a while, we got out of the bath and went into the room to see Lucy. I had my waist wrapped in a towel, so I need to find my clothes. Luce is lying on the bed with a book on top of her chest. Toni is curled up into her neck. _She looks so cute! I just want to…never mind. It's not good to think perverted thoughts when we're alone in a hotel suite. _I went over to the wardrobe and slipped on some boxers. Then I went over to Luce and gave her a peck on the lips; also removing the book from her chest and putting it on the night stand. "You should take a shower or bath now, Luce. We're done," I whispered into her ear.

"Five more minutes," she groaned.

"Come on, Luce! Unless you want me to go with you to make sure you clean yourself properly," I said huskily, breathing on her neck. Lucy slapped my face away and rolled over, with her back facing me. I sighed; I guess I have no choice. I scooped Luce into my arms, grabbed her some panties and one of my shirts, and took her to the bathroom. I set her down on the floor and she woke up at the coldness.

"Natsu! Why did you do this! I would've woken up soon enough," she said while blushing madly.

I smirked and knelt beside her on the floor. "Honestly, how troublesome can you be?" I asked, while tugging on the hem of her shirt. "You're supposed to undress, hop in that tub, and then eat dinner with me. So, start!" I exclaimed. I ran out of the bathroom and called room service. I got myself some steak, fire chicken, and…Well…I guess I got myself around half of the menu. I got Luce some salad, pasta, yogurt, and a strawberry smoothie. I think those are her favorite foods.

The food came just before Luce got out of the shower. She was blushing. I guess it was because she was only wearing one of my shirts, which went down to mid-thigh on her small frame. I motioned for her to come over and I sat her on my lap. Then we started to eat. The exceeds had already eaten, and were sleeping on the other bed. When we finished eating, Luce was shivering. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was cold. I scooped her up into my arms and she squealed, much to my amusement. I sat down by the fire, cradling her in my arms.

**Lucy POV**

"Natsu, I'm sleepy," I spoke. It was already one in the morning, but we were still up. Natsu began to rub circles in my back. _Mama used to do that. _"How did you know to do that," I whispered.

"Easy. You do this for me all the time on the train. You also told me a little while back that it's what your mom used to do when you were sick," he said calmly.

I snuggled into his chest and wrapped my arms around his neck. _No wonder I love you so much. _That was my last thought before drifting off.

The next morning, I woke up around eight thirty. I unwrapped Natsu's arms from around my waist and got dressed. Then I woke up the exceeds and told them to get ready. After buying some food from a nearby shop, I came back to the room and went over to Natsu. "Wake up pinky," I purred. I got no response. Feeling crafty, I grabbed a marker and colored his eyebrows black. Then I drew on a mustache and some glasses. Lastly, I drew a goatee. _Hahaha! He looks so funny!_ I had a hand clamped over my mouth and another clutching my stomach as I doubled over and fell on the floor, laughing my ass off. Natsu chose this as a time to wake up. When he peered over the edge of the bed and saw me lying on the floor, a frantic and worried look covered his face.

"Luce, you ok? Why are you on the floor?" he asked innocently, still oblivious to his new facial features.

I bit down I my tongue to stifle my laughter. "Natsu, you're just too cute!" I squealed, kissing his nose softly.

"I'm not cute! I'm a ferocious dragon! RAWRRRR!" he shouted, leaping on to me.

"N-Natsu…You're heavy. Get off please! Plus, we should start the mission, right? I only have this room booked for another night, anyway," I choked out. Natsu jumped up and threw on some clothes. He offered me a hand. _What?A hand?Oh, right! I'm on the floor. Duh. _I grabbed his hand and he lifted me off of the floor. Then we rounded up the exceeds. After a few minutes, we began the mission.

**Natsu POV**

When Luce, the exceeds, and I were walking through the village, we began asking the villagers about "Reaper." After many failures, one boy, around ten years old, was able to help us.

"Hey, do you know anything about the Reaper?" Lucy asked gently.

"He's scary. I saw him when I was catching frogs in the forest yesterday! I just ran away as fast as I could. I don't think he saw me. He's probably still there," said the little boy.

I gave the boy five hundred jewels and thanked him for his help. He ran off and we began to walk towards the forest. We reached the forest soon after and began our search. The forest was dimly lit. The light had much difficulty penetrating the dense canopy made by the trees and other woodland forest life. As we were walking down the worn path, a flash of red encountered us.

"So you're the mages the Council sent to get rid of me, ey? Good luck. The first move is yours," the mage known as "Reaper" spoke. He was of medium build, with a long red cloak, and black pants. The clock covered his face and hair. His chest was bare, but with two twin swords attached to straps in a cross fashion. There was a large reaper's scythe on his back.

Luce took the first move, surprising me. "Open! Gate of the twins! Gemini!" she yelled, "Do what we practiced." Gemini transformed into another Luce. They connected palms and performed the spell for Urano Metria. While they did that, Flight and Loy grabbed them and flew them up into the air so the chant wouldn't be interrupted. I took this moment to throw a punch at the enemy.

"Iron fist of the fire dragon!" I shouted, trying to punch the guy. The guy dodged with ease and kicked me in the side. I couldn't dodge in time, but Coal caught me and flew me to Luce.

_Survey the Heaven, Open the Heaven..._

_All the stars, far and wide..._

_Show me thy appearance..._

_With such shine._

_O Tetrabiblos..._

_I am the ruler of the stars..._

_Aspect became complete..._

_Open thy malevolent gate._

_O 88 Stars of the heaven... _

_Shine!_

_**Urano Metria!**_

Luce and Gemini finished the chant and the attack hit "Reaper" with full force. I took this moment to attack again. _Hell, I don't want to let Luce do all the work! _"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!" What was left of Urano Metria combined with my attack and fused to form the "Golden Lotus Celestial Flame Spiral!" the two magics hit him hardly and knocked him to the ground.

"Open! Gate of the Lion! Leo!" Lucy shouted.

"Hello, my princess. How can I be of service," Loke said, while kissing Lucy's hand.

"Stop flirting with her and attack that guy!" I screamed irritated. _Luce is MY woman! He has no right to flirt with her, even if he's her spirit._

Loke ran up to the guy and punched him in the gut, "Regulus Impact!" The guy struggled to get up, but succeeded.

"You think THAT will beat me?" he screamed, blood running out of his mouth. "Well, it won't!" He unleashed his scythe and ran towards us.

Luckily, we had flight power! Literally, Flight grabbed Lucy and Loy grabbed me, and flew us up to a safe distance. The rest of the exceeds followed. The "Reaper" jumped from tree top to tree top, in an attempt to get higher and eventually reach our part of the sky. Suddenly, a sword grazed the side of my leg. I looked over to Lucy. A sword was coming right toward her!

**TBC**

**This is my longest chapter yet! I would've written more, but my mum wants em to sleep -.- Until next time!**

**-Fatality**


	9. Chapter 9: The Fellowship of Standor

Chapter 9

**AN: So guess who's a major asshole? Me! Hehe…I shouldn't have promised a chapter like a week or two ago… :) For those who like pervy Natsu, he shall return cause it's really fun writing it. To those who don't like the OOCness: nyeh, live with it or I'll shock you with an electric eel. Also, prepare yourself for the surprise of the century. The sound effect "DUN DUN DUN" should be playing in your heads right about now. Oh and, this chapter **_**will**_** be shorter than the last one, unless I feel like I haven't included much of anything besides background descriptions. Anyways, enjoy! That is all.**

**Recap Natsu POV:**

The "Reaper" jumped from tree top to tree top, in an attempt to get higher and eventually reach our part of the sky. Suddenly, a sword grazed the side of my leg. I looked over to Lucy. A sword was coming right toward her!

**Natsu POV**

_Shit! If I don't do something quickly, she'll get hurt._ Just remembering Mira's face when she warned me of the consequences that would take place if she got hurt gave me an adrenaline rush. "Loy! Fly towards Lucy quick!" I yelled.

"Aera: Hyper Speed!" shouted Loy, zipping me over to Luce just in the nick of time.

I got to Luce right before the sword would hit her and swatted it away with my arm, getting a medium sized gash running from my elbow to my wrist in the process. She didn't even know what was going on until I stumbled back a bit, bumping into her in the process.

"Natsu! Are you ok? What happened?" she exclaimed, looking worried.

"You should be more observant, Luce. A sword was coming right at you! I blocked it though, so everything's alright," I spoke, grinning. Luce started to blush. _Why is she blushing? I usually save her. It's nothing special._ Then she looked away. _I'm confused now. Did I say something wrong?_ "What's wrong, Luce? Did I say something bad?" I asked.

"No, I did. I'm always getting saved by you, and this time you got hit by a sword when I should've. How can I be happy when I caused you pain?" she spoke sullenly.

I pulled her into an embrace. "Luce, never blame yourself. I save you because I love you, and never say that you should've been injured. I'd do anything for ya, Luce, even get a little hurt," I said, "How many times do you need to be told that?" I took off my scarf and wrapped it around her neck. "Here, this will remind you. You're mine and always will be and I'll protect you." I smiled cheekily and held her hand.

"Sorry to interrupt your lover's moment, but we have a battle to fight. STOP IGNORING ME!" screamed the Reaper. He was visibly irked and tapping his foot impatiently on a tree branch about fifteen feet below us.

"Let's finish this!" I shouted. Still holding hands, I whispered something into Luce's ear, "Let's try for a uni-whatever raid! That'll show him!"

"It's unison raid, not uni-whatever raid, but ok!" she giggled.

We got into a battle stance and held our hands up, palm to palm. "Magical Fusion: Unison Raid! Secret Attack: Celestial Flames!" we shouted. The attack flew at the guy and knocked him cold. Then we high-fived and flew down to tie the guy up. After the guy was tied up in magic absorbing ropes (provided by the magic council), he regained consciousness.

"I guess you two were strong enough to beat me. For that, you can ask me one question that I will answer truthfully," said Reaper.

"Natsu, you could use this as a chance to ask about Igneel!" said Lucy excitedly.

"You're right. That's a great idea, Luce!" I spun around and looked at Reaper, "Do you know anything about the whereabouts of the dragons who went missing on July seventh in the year x777?" I asked.

"I myself don't know anything, but I know a person who could tell you a thing or two about dragons. He goes by "Standor" and he owns a magic shop in Caelum. That's South of Fiore, and I think it's about two days away by boat in good weather. He al-"

"We'll be taking this one away now. Thanks for capturing him. As promised, here's your one million jewels," stated Lahar. As he left, he muttered, "I was scared shitless that that pyromaniac and the celestial one would destroy the entire forest."

From the distance, Reaper called out, "Just tell him that Foku sent you and he'll tell you anything you want him to!"

_Caelum, eh? That shouldn't be that bad. Wait…BY BOAT? I'LL DIE! _"Luce, can we just fly to that Caelum place? We have so much air power now! It'd be easier!"

"No! How could you think of making the children fly that far, carrying you as well? You're heavy! We're going by boat whether you like it or not. I'll even chain you to the mast if I have to," she said confidently. Lucy looked pretty irritated. I guess I shouldn't have made that comment.

* * *

**Timeskip: Arrival in Caelum, Lucy POV**

_Wow! This place is huge! Now we just have to find that Standor guy, or whatever his name was. _"Natsu, we should start looking for that Standor guy. Then we need to go back to the guild. I'm sure they're worrying about us, since we were supposed to be back yesterday. Erza will probably be irritated too, she wanted to talk to us after she got back from her mission," I said.

"Who cares about Erza? We're here to find the Standing Door? At the magic shop? Is it a magic item to tell me where Igneel is?" Natsu asked, with a toothy grin on his face.

I sighed, "Natsu, Standor is a person. Not a magic item. But, I do hope he'll tell you where Igneel is."

"Really? Lets go find him then; I'm all fired up!" shouted Natsu.

Natsu and I ran down the streets asking random people if they've heard of a man named Standor. So far everyone has given us a grim look and just walked away, ignoring us completely. That was when we bumped into a strange old man. _He looks familiar. _"Have you heard of a guy named Standor? We were told by some guy named Foku that he'd be willing to talk with us," I spoke.

The man grabbed my arm and dragged me into a nearby alley. Natsu, of course, had already latched himself onto me and was dragged as well. The man moved a dumpster aside and pushed a random brick of the alley wall. Suddenly, a portal appears. He jumps in and we follow him, although, the exceeds almost didn't make it. The portal led us to the basement of a house I presumed was his.

"I'll only talk to you here," the man said grumpily.

"Why? Are you Standor?" Natsu asked, with a quizzical expression.

"Yes. So, your girlfriend said Foku sent you, right? If so, ask away," mumbled Standor. I blushed slightly when Standor said that. Natsu just smirked.

"Old man! Where is Igneel?" Natsu demanded.

Standor ignored him and turned to me, "I hate how young people always act so rude to their elders. Are you any better, or do I just have to ignore both of you?"

"Hey, haven't I seen you somewhere before?" I inquired, "And I do have manners, unlike my friend here." Standor smiled and took out a packet of seeds. He handed them to me, while I gave him a confused look. I examined the pack of seeds, and it felt oddly like déja vu. _When has this happened before? Oh! He's that creepy seed seller guy from the market!_ "You're that-"

He cut me off mid speech saying, "Yes, you finally realized. I'm the one who gave you the seeds. You see, I somehow needed you to have them in order for my plan to work."

"What plan! Don't you dare hurt my Luce!" roared Natsu.

"Shut up, boy! Young lady, kindly escort your boyfriend into the next room, along with the exceeds. I get the feeling that you're the only one intelligent enough to talk to," muttered Standor.

I did as he said, but I kept Toni for company. I didn't really want to be completely alone with a strange old man who says he has a "plan" for me. Natsu began banging on the walls.

"Alright, back to business. I have a mission for you. To do it, you require all fifty exceeds for aerial and support power. It's dangerous, but I will pay highly. After that is completed, we will discuss my plan. Oh, and to answer your rude boy toy's question earlier about the fire dragon, I do know where he is. It will all come together when the plan is completed. Here is your mission paper and a bag. Inside the bag, you'll find items to help you complete the mission. Now, get out of my house before I throw you out. Your toy is making too much racket!" spoke Standor.

I quickly let Natsu and the exceeds out of the room and we exited through a newly constructed portal that Standor made. When we stepped out of the portal, we were in the middle of a cave. I took this as an opportunity to sit down and read the mission paper.

**Brats, I need you to fight off mutant phoenixes in the city of Edaroya. It's somewhere near Crocus, perhaps. Bring some others along, like that sword wielder or the frozen stripper. This will test to see if you're fit for the plan. If not, I'll just get some others from the Pegasus Guild or something like that. This needs to be completed within two weeks. You can collect your reward (10 million jewels) in this cave. I'll be waiting for you.**

**-Standor**

I opened the bag and found two lacrimas infused with unknown magic, poison, ten thousand jewels to cover transportation money, and an instruction sheet. "Celestial girl, the lacrimas are for you. I don't mean you're weak or bullshit like that. You're not. I just think you should have them. Put them in your body, I don't care how, but do it. It will give you a boost for your celestial magic and also will let you use a magic I pioneered: Blood maker magic. It's like Ice maker magic, but with blood, and etc. Use your powers wisely. Use the poison to finish off the phoenixes. It's the only thing that will permanently kill them."

After I read the note, I shoved it into my pocket, and our entourage left the cave.

* * *

**Timeskip: in Magnolia, Normal POV:**

The mages and their exceeds had just gotten off the train and were walking through the _streets of Magnolia. Lucy suddenly doubled over in pain, clutching her stomach. She had_ inserted the lacrimas into the left side of her stomach, leaving her with a small scar.

"Luce! Are you ok? How did you get that scar?" Natsu panicked, worried about his lover.

"I'm fine, Natsu. On the train, I put two lacrima into the side of my stomach. They were from Standor, and were necessary to complete our next mission. I guess I'm just feeling the side effects of the new magic I received," the celestial mage spoke wearily.

Our favorite pyromaniac picked her up bridal style and carried her to the guild. He kicked open the doors and shouted, "We're back! And I didn't even destroy any villages this time!"

All eyes were on the couple and their exceeds as Natsu and Lucy realized how compromising their position looked to the rest of the Guild. The Guild already knew about their relationship, but the couple did not want to suffer through endless teasing as a result of it. Erza strode up to the pair, "Where have you been? I told you there was something urgent to _are those all exceeds?_" She ended her yelling in an abrupt hush tone. She walked past the dumbfounded couple and began fawning over the exceeds, showing off her rarely seen motherly instincts. She became quite attached to Soy and Lincoln. Lincoln had a top hat and a fake beard. He was a quiet exceed, quite the opposite of Soy. Soy was quite boisterous. He had a dagger strapped to his tail and was always willing to use it.

"So, Erza," Lucy spoke, "Could you come on a mission with us? It's a special mission given to us by the man who allowed me to have all the exceeds. He actually requested that you come with us, along with Gray. If you're interested, we're meeting here at eleven thirty tomorrow morning and leaving at noon."

The bubbly celestial mage then walked over to Gray, who was mid-stripping his pants and yelled, "Gray! No stripping around the exceeds! I already told you this! Anyways, you're going to go on a mission with Erza, Natsu, and I, got it? If you even think of backing out, I'll make sure that Flight and Loy pester you nonstop." She began to walk away and called out, "Ask Erza for the details! I'm going home now!" She grabbed Natsu by the arm and walked out of the Guild, with the exceeds following them. It would certainly be an interesting day ahead of them.

_**Brief AN: Like the guy's name? Foku? Yeah. I was bored. Sorry again for those who hate OOCness, but it's required if you want Nalu and the exceeds in the story. Hope you enjoyed!**_


End file.
